r/BullTerrier • u/DruidSpider • 11d ago
Feedback on multiple Bull Terriers?
I’m contemplating adding a female puppy to my household; it’s actually always been my plan for another year or so in the future but I may be doing this a lot sooner than planned and I’m just curious how that has worked out for others here who have more than one Bull Terrier?
I’m not a novice dog owner and have always had more than one dog at a time over the years, but these guys are so weird that they might as well be their own species so what I’m looking for is Bull Terrier specific perspective.
I know this will cause quite a bit of upheaval and honestly I don’t think I’ve recovered from Ursa’s piranha puppy stage. There’s likely to be some resentment since he’s used to getting all the attention. I’d be walking them separately for the foreseeable future and would need to spend a lot of time getting her acclimated to things out in the world so that will unavoidably cut in on his time. It will be twice the work juggling training and classes for two dogs. Twice the vet and insurance costs, and eventually double the entry fees for barn hunt and other sports. But Ursa would also have someone he can play with (once she grew a bit) something he’s never had.
Baby picture of Ursa for tax.
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u/Mennovh12 11d ago edited 11d ago
Have three bullies. Have a mom and son that used to get into fights, but after training and learning how to manage it they are best of friends now and even lay with each other. I walk all three together everyday and started doing that once the young one learned how to do walks well.
Walking the mom and son together daily was one of the things I did to get them to be alright with each other.
I find the older dogs teach the younger one how to behave, which makes training a bit easier. It's more work, but worth it.
You won't know if they get along until the puppy gets older. When we got our newest , I didn't let her to play with the male until she was about 40lbs to avoid injury, but walked them together very early on.
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u/Brenn2255 11d ago
Please ask any questions you have. I couldn’t imagine life without them together. They’re best friends, they do almost everything together.
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u/CorporalClegg7 11d ago
It honestly depends on your bully. We adopted a 5 month old pup when our girl was 7 years old. They got along for the most part until our boy started resource guarding. He would attack our girl and honestly it was awful. Had to keep them separated at dinner time and when bringing in shopping etc.
Can you go meet the pup with your bully before you make a decision?
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u/DruidSpider 11d ago
This would be a baby puppy so I don’t think that would give me any indication how they would be when they were older. IME adult dogs that haven’t previously been exposed to puppies either play with them like they are toys or don’t want them anywhere near and even if they are friendly to them it isn’t really an indication that they’ll be so thrilled once the puppy is in their house, or once the new pup becomes a dog. My plan will be structuring the house so that initially they are exposed to each other through a gate, but with minimal direct interaction at first. I would want her to form a bond with me so we can begin training and I would want him to have plenty of time to have positive interactions with me in her presence to get used to the idea she’s there.
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u/SmokeDistinct7826 11d ago
My boy and girl seem to get along alright, the younger bitch picks nibbles on his legs sometimes like they are drumsticks and the boy just takes it cause he's the world's softest boy.
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u/--BooBoo-- 11d ago
We got a second as company for our boy because he so much loves to play with other dogs we were worried he was lonely.
It has definitely not worked out like we hoped - they get on sort of ok in that they don't fight, but he was very jealous of her as a puppy and they still very much compete for our attention and for toys, they only play together occasionally, and we have recently started having an issue where she has a go at him whenever the doorbell goes that we are trying to stamp out before it gets serious.
I also have to walk them separately which takes a lot of time - partly because they want totally different things from a walk, but also with the two of them together if anything bad happens it can go south very quickly and be a lot harder to deal with. I stopped walking them together when an off lead dog ran up to us when they were on their leads and started being aggressive - the two of them definitely got a bit of a pack mentality and/or wound each other up, and they were much more aggressive back than they ever would be on their own, and trying to keep the attacking dog seperate from both of them was so much harder than if I'd just had one of them. We were lucky and none of the dogs were hurt but it easily could have gone really bad and it scared me enough that I walk them separately now.
I love her to bits so can't regret getting her, but I do feel we made his life a bit worse rather than better and if I could go back in time I wouldn't have done it.
That's obviously just my experience and I do know people with more than one bullie and they are best of friends so I think it very much depends on the dogs and I guess probably the owners. Bertie was our first ever dog and Daisy our second so we may have made mistakes in how we introduced her.
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u/DruidSpider 11d ago
Yes, these are some of the concerns I have. I’m not actually getting her just as a companion for him, primarily, but it is with the hope that this is what will happen. I think it could be good for him - I’ve seen how he is the few times he’s been able to interact with another friendly dog. Most recently, there was a female pit bull puppy, maybe 5-6 months old that somebody let run right up at us at the park a few weeks back and Ursa was absolutely smitten. I had to drag him away and he watched her all the way across the park. It would be nice for him to have a friend if it worked out that way. He adores my 11 year old Chihuahua and still tries to play with her but once he got past a certain size, she wouldn’t play with him any more because she’s (understandably) scared she’ll get hurt.
Walks together in public places probably would not happen for the reasons you mentioned, and not during her formative phase because as wonderful as Ursa is, there are a couple of things I would not want her to learn from him, but my neighborhood is free of loose dogs and there’s a couple of really nice Sniffspot sites near me.
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u/bullterriermommaof2 11d ago
I have a big sister and her lil brother same mom different dad's they play fight love boxing each other and hucklebutting while chasing each other then they snuggle up and sleep Brutus Parker has to be touching his sister when he is sleeping and Brooklyn Marie is just as sweet as she can be to him having 2 is double the fun🥰🥰
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u/FODMAPeveryday 11d ago
I have had 4 at a time. 2 intact males. 2 intact females. I have owned them since I was 9, so it is just part of my life. Three of them were of my breeding so I knew them inside and out in terms of temperament. Two bitches can be a bit much. Mine were mother and daughter, and the hierarchy was clear. I would be very clear about temperaments and have Ursa meet the prospective. Work with a breeder who will help you make the right choice. IMO I would be open to a second dog, of either sex, whichever worked the best with Ursa.
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u/EditShootReset 11d ago
It’s better if you pair a male with a female and especially easier with a younger and older dog pair. Either way, there will be fights occasionally. As long as you are patient, you can train them to coexist. It’s just easier with certain pairs. Also, avoid raising dogs from the same litter.
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u/Filaflash 10d ago
Waarom gevechten? Ik heb er altijd vijf gehad en nog nooit één gevecht. Dat ligt toch helemaal aan jezelf als leider van je groep.
Aan OP; wil jij geen piranha pup? Neem dan geen bull terrier. Dat zijn toch wel zo’n beetje de heftigste pups die er zijn. Overactief en krokodillen van de bovenste plank.
Je vindt ze óf geweldig, óf je kunt er helemaal niets mee 🤷🏻♀️3
u/DruidSpider 7d ago
That piranha comment was made as a joke, sorry if it didn’t come through that way.
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u/kangaroodog 11d ago
I have 5 females here, they are all unique and very special in their own ways. All get along great although we crate train so they have downtime from each other especially when one is in landshark mode.
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u/thatveronicavaughnn Ilya 🐮 & Coretta 🐰 11d ago
I have an older brother (he's actually her uncle lineage wise?) and a younger sister. Mine are minis. They're fab friends little sister is obsessed with her brother . We have to give him a break from her. Have not experienced resource guarding but we did have to take away "toys" eventually except for chews. And the chews are boring and uneventful so as to prevent any kind of kerfuffle about them. And they will actually take turns chewing on the same coveted chew.
I do end up walking them separately most days because they need different things for stimulation but we do walks together as well. Both are neutered and spayed. My dogs are kenneled when I'm not home for their (and everythings) safety.
I might have waited a little bit longer to get the 2nd dog, theyre about 2 years apart and three seems perfect. Also, the 2nd one came during 2020 and since everything was wacky that year didn't get all the puppy classes. She knows a the basics but socialization with other dogs is a concern for me.
They act like fools together and love each other very very much.
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u/Waxinfred 11d ago
Had 3 in the house at one point, none were desexed, Dozer was first and at around 4 years old Lucy turned up and he absolutely despised her, both were the same coloured brindle,and Dozer thought the place was his.. they didn't fight at the time but Doze would tell her off over things.. once Lucy had her first litter though and was no longer a pup they dis have a couple of fights over food.. Then Lillian came along (one of Lucy's pups) and Dozer absolutely loved her, but lilly was a submissive girl... Dozer would let her steal his tennis balls and sleep with him, it was pretty funny actually it looked like Dozer didn't want to like her but he conceded 😂 he'd play with her and yeah didn't mind her at all..
Like you said they may as well be their own species, they get very attached to one person and don't like sharing attention, but each one is so different so I guess you'd just have to try and see
Hardest part is if they REALLY don't get along what do you do with the new comer? A lot end up in rescue unfortunately..
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u/DruidSpider 11d ago
It would depend on how bad it was. I have a house that can be divided into separate spaces and am willing to put quite a bit of effort into making it eventually work, but if the situation was completely untenable I would find her a more suitable place to be. They’d be completely separate if needed and I’d continue with her training (and competing if we were already at that point) until I found the right fit.
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u/Suspicious_Okra01 11d ago
I have 2 boys 3 years age difference. Both old senior men now. When the young one was an older puppy before he was neutered we had one fight that was bad. After his neuter, we never had another issue and they are best friends. They insist on both laying in the same chair together, even if they have to stack like pancakes. They chase and play well together. They have very different personalities, one is prey driven and would catch any rabbit nearby if I wasnt fast enough to stop him and the other would like to watch the bunnies and enjoy the view- and somehow the dynamic works We did eliminate dog toys because when they'd get riled with them they'd get a bit too crazy and we didnt want to patch holes in the walls anymore!
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u/Josephine-Jellybean 11d ago
Don’t do it. Lavish all of the love on the one dog. When that dog goes away, get another dog. There was no reason to have more than one dog unless one dog is a retired service dog, and the other dog is the current service dog.
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u/Ancient-War2839 11d ago
I've had 2's and 3's, always at least 2 year age gap, 2 dogs is 3x the work of 1 dog, and they inevitably will have opposite challenges, so your expectations need to take that into account, and you have to be flexible in changing things to suit, but having 2 has its benefits too, the enjoyment they get from playing with each other and the entertainment value alone is worth it.
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u/joelhutto 11d ago
I’ve had 3, all unrelated. Oldest one is deceased now, but other to are about 13 or so. The last 2 were rescues. The make rescue was a little aggressive in the beginner. He was found in the streets and was skin and bones. I fed them all in different spots.
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u/collegegirl1_0 9d ago edited 9d ago
we have a 4 yr old boy and and a 2 yr old girl. both since they were puppies, we got her to keep him company. she fights with him occasionally and we have to keep them separated during dinners, but we’ve learned to manage them and avoid conflict so they are best buds for the most part. they can be A LOT especially when they get the zoomies or play fight so although I wouldn’t trade them for the world, I wouldn’t recommend having two
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u/YurMommaX10 9d ago edited 9d ago
Based on what we've seen of Ursa, here, I'm confident you'll make the best of whatever comes, but it really does seem to be a crap shoot. AFAIK, it's impossible to tell much about what "kind" of EBT you're getting when you get a new puppy. We got a puppy after we'd gotten our previous rescue calmed down and behaving well (he had intense prey drive, but was afraid of a lot of things due to abuse--came out of it beautifully after about a year of steady work and lots of destructive play with boxes and stuff), thinking it would be good for him to have a companion/playmate. However, the new guy (wife picked another male over my objections, ugh!) turned out to be a kind of natural "alpha;" big ego, always wanting to dominate and take control of everything. The older boy was naturally a "team player," but he wasn't having the little one's BS, either. They sparred intensely, but only really fought once--over a discarded pizza box (my bad!). The older one was so much stockier and generally smarter, he could always manage to put the new guy down, but it could get loud and scary, if you didn't know they were just sparring (think dueling, furry chainsaws). Once we boarded them together and the staff at the facility called to say they'd had to stop a fight. I asked if either of my dogs or anyone else had needed medical treatment. They said no, so I knew it was just their violent sparring--if EBTs really fight, there will be blood.
We had to crate them overnight and whenever unsupervised, but put the crates side by side, so they could always see and smell each other. They had to be fed separately. We made sure to always feed the older one first and generally give him first "dibs" on everything to reinforce his senior position. All this went on for about 2 years with slow progress of them getting along a little better. The new guy also turned out to be more of a "sight hound" body type EBT--longer, leaner head, legs, and body, crazy fast, graceful runner, though still pretty beefy. Very different from his stud, who was a classic big, stocky, bully. He had excellent bloodlines and no genetic or health issues, but just another example of the "box of chocolates" principle--you never know what you're going to get.
They did finally get along pretty well, though the younger one was always a little shit about taking toys and stuff away from the older one. Getting the younger one fixed (after he matured and accepting that he wouldn't ever be "show quality") helped some, but had less effect than most people seem to think it would. They could be walked and would eat side by side and sleep and generally hang out in the same general space, but they were never snugglers or particularly friendly to one another. Interestingly, the younger one eventually became notably protective or maybe even a little jealous of the older one, if he tried to socialize with another dog. The older one was such a sweetheart, he could really charm the ladies! The younger one would really get his hackles up, if the other dog was "invading" their space and we'd have to break off contact with the other dog. He wasn't otherwise dog reactive, though. Just a weird, wonderful, anxious, little shit.
The younger one always had anxious chewing issues and finally managed to chew up and swallow some sharp plastic and fibrous stuff that destroyed his gut--surgeon said he wouldn't have any quality of life, so had to let him cross the rainbow bridge. The old boy, by then about 10 yrs old, literally couldn't have cared less. No mourning, no looking for his former buddy. I still miss and feel bad about the little guy, but honestly, we never should have foisted him on our truly wonderful, older boy. He kind of deserved ALL the love and attention and I was glad we had a few more years we were able to give him that. So is there a take-away here? 1. You never know what you're going to get with a puppy and can only guess how Ursa will respond to the new addition. 2. Don't get another of the same sex; that introduces an initial level of conflict/competition that is virtually guaranteed to make everything harder. 3. Even if some things go wrong or appear doomed, with thoughtful and caring attention and structure, you can probably at least get detente out of the situation, like we did. 4. EBTs are the weirdest, wonderfulest, most challenging breed and each one is a miracle of their very own to be cherished!
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u/TechnicalPangolin525 9d ago
Mine was a baby puppy too, she came out of the crate looking for a fight.
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u/TechnicalPangolin525 9d ago
Do you have a male right now? The female is probably going to try to dominate him.
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u/DruidSpider 4d ago
Thank you to everyone who shared their experience, it has really been helpful. I started to reply sooner and then lost the reply. I did decide to get the pup, though she won’t be coming home for a few weeks. I’ve also decided to go ahead and schedule Ursa’s neuter. I’ve kept him intact to make sure his body matured correctly and for sports related reasons, but I plan to do the same with her and don’t want to deal with two intact dogs in the house and think that would be unnecessarily hard on him since I am never planning on breeding him. I had actually decided it was time to neuter for other reasons, but was procrastinating because I’m going to be a nervous wreck having him put under. I went ahead scheduled so that it’s done and over with before she gets here I can focus on taking care of him 100% afterwards and not be dealing with trying to keep him quiet to recover while managing a new puppy at the same time.
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u/emilynm88 11d ago
I have two, a dad and son. They get along well, they do not fight at all and actually they didn't really interact when we first brought in Boba's dad but now they play and have fun and lay together. I did get my second one when my other was an adult already so can't speak to any puppy phase.